, 1887-08-17
ISTRfCT SCHOOLS.
THE PERILs AND DIFFICULTIES OF
TEACHING FORTY YEARS AGO.

A Chicago Journalist Olives n Bit of His
Pedagogical Experience in Tanning tho
Juvenile MenaEeris at the Gross Roads
School House.
Not one Of the teachers Of the district
schools ever fancied that discipline could
be enforced without corporal punishment;
in fact, the people esteemed him in proper
ton to his severity. Generally the instru-
ment Of torture was a fiat "ruler'' OF
hardwood, and was applied to the open
palm OF the hand. Some of the brutes
who handled this weapon seemed to de-
light in its use and employed It on the
slightest excuse, and not ~iDfrequently
without any cause. l hRve been ferTuled
scores OF times without the consciousness
of having committed any offense what
ever.
The women who taught in the summer
did not use the ferrule, but generally a
switch, the offender often being sent out
to cut the run with which he was
to be punished. One feminine teacher was
an ingenious t%orturer, who constantly in
vented novel methods OF punishment. One
was to put a closed penknife between the
fingers OF the victim, press the fingers tight
to the handle, and then twist the latter
till the pupil howled over the intolerable
pain,
While fitting for college 1 taught district
schools for several winters, and so abhor-
rent were the various punishments which
/ had suffered when a boy that l deter
mined never TO strike a pupil unless in alb
solute self defense. And L never did. /
taught I'm some pretty tough localities,
where punishments had been the rule from
time immemorial.
THE CROSS ROADS CHooL
There is, or was, a cross road settle
ment on the Sacondaga river in which was
a district school that was famous all
through the region for the barbar-
ism and intractable character of its
scholars. applied for it one winter. and
was laughed at by the trustee to whom 1
made the application.
"Why, they throwed out the teacher
last winter; and that amt all either; they
mutilated him so that he'll be a cripple
for life.
After much parleying I succeeded In
getting the engagement, 1t being under
TODD on the part of the trustees that II 1
lasted a week 1t would be a miracle.
The pupils who,presented themselves on
the opening day were not a choice lot. Most
OF them were from the hills, and were but
little more advanced than savages in book
learning. There were some half dozen
boys as old as, or older than, myself, and
two or three hulking chaps who were con-
siderably larger than myself in physical
dimensions They looked me over with
about the same glance that a bull dog
might a slender terrier, but for several
days were on their good behavior, being
OF the opinion that when the time came
they would thrown me out without
trouble, 1t was the case of u half dozen
cats playing with a feeble mouse.
SIZING UP THE CROWD.
1 soon sized up the crowd, and found
that the leader was a sullen brute of some
25 years Of age, who could just barely
spell words of two or three letters, and
could not even write his name. He good
naturally allowed me to order him up to
repeat his letters with an air as II saying:
"All right for n week or so, but wen show
you by and by" A fortnight after the
school opened he was more sullen h
usual one day, and when / requested him
to come out and recite his letters guessed
he didn't want to say no lesson"
every well. When recess comes you'll
keep you seat and not go out with the
boys.h
His ugly face took on n deeper scowl
than usual, and he glanced around at the
other big boys, with a glance which said,
"Now's the timel Wen tackle himr' II
was a half hour before recess. Meanwhile
ne pulled out an immense pocket knife,
opened It, and then, when he saw me look.
ing toward him, he Jabbed the blade os,
tentatiously into the desk. The smaller
scholars saw that a storm was brewing
and were uneasy; the larger ones moved
about, and evidently thought the crisis
was at hand.
When the hour for the recess came ]
picked up the heavy iron poker and carry,
ing II as il II were q cane, l opened the
door and said; ''The boys may have IA re.
cess" As ! did so l hxed my eyes on the
ruffian with the jackknife, with a genial
smile on my lips. The other large boy
hesitated for an instant, as II expecting
him to make a start. He quailed as ht
saw my attitude and the poker, and kept
his seat. The other boys saw the gamt
was up, and went out; they had no leader
and the combination was broken. l never
had the slightest further trouble. Ever
the brute with the jackknife became, aftel
his fashion, my friend, and actually gav'
some attention to his books, and by sprinl
could both read and write 10 a fair extent
The people Of the district patiently
waited to see me come through the win
dows in sections; but the event never hap
pencd. l tanned the menagerie aud nevel
struck one OF the beasts a blow .-"Poli
uto' in Chicago Times.
An EnterprIsIng. Reliable House.
NJ NJ Hat ,,n ,1,.,,r, l., u,1,al ,,...n